Donating Old Products to Charity
- March 11th, 2008
- View Comments (6)
I was browsing my stats on the blog and someone searched this term:
“can i donate my mary kay inventory to charity”
I thought I would address it. It brought 3 searches to my site. The answer is absolutely! As a matter of fact, it is recommended by the company in the April issue of Applause®. It’s found on page 9. I will quote:
Charitable Donations
Many domestic abuse shelters are in need of new cosmetics for the clients they serve … suggest collaborating with fellow independent sales force members to donate some of your remaining platinum packaging items and MK Signature® color cosmetics to shelters in your area. “This could be a great way for your team to bond while enriching the lives of members of your own community,” Kristin [Myers] says. “Your product donations may be tax deductible as well.” Be sure to consult with your tax adviser first.
If you are currently Inactive status, you may not have received Applause® in the mail; however, you can view the entire magazine online on, you guessed it–InTouch! 
Talk to your director about donations. She may know of a shelter in your area.
I plan to donate any of the old color that I am unable to sell at a discount.
Tags: Applause Magazine, Charity, Cosmetics, Donating Product, InTouch, Inventory
Shades of Pink
Pink Biz
warzmondu
Vanessa
Stumble It!
That is a good idea. That would benefit both the ladies that receive it and you to because of the donation. You know there is a place here that also helps ladies that have gone to the womens shelter get jobs. Well, if they left their house with nothing then they might not have anything at all including make up. Great Idea.
This is some neat information I received last year and have hung onto that I though I would share. This sounds like a really neat ministry that uses our donated items and samples. I have yet to send anything to her, but we have been in contact recently and I plan to very soon! Here is the original message:
“Good Afternoon Ladies,
I know this may not be a normal post, but I appreciate you taking a
minute to look at this.
I am a member of World Harvest Church in Enid, OK. Our women’s
ministry has developed a “Cherished” ministry for women in our
community. We have a catered dinner once a month & make women feel
totally “cherished”. We go to all lengths to make women feel totally
pampered. As many of you know, women play a major roll in making our
families happy & stable. In a lot of instances, women don’t feel
appreciated and feel like they have a lot of inadequacies, which keep
them from moving forward in their life. We are concentrating on some
outreach programs for the YWCA, battered women’s shelter, domestic
violence & single mothers.
I recently heard a testimony from a single mother; the struggles of
her current circumstances and providing for her child. Don’t get me
wrong, she wasn’t complaining, but believing in God to help her
through. You know the one thing that she was believing in God
for….something she couldn’t afford….a luxury item for herself…..a
bottle of perfume. That’s right ladies, a bottle of perfume.
Something that each one of us probably has many of that we will get
tired of before we finish the bottle. That really made me stop and
think.
It made me stop and think of all the discontinued items that I have
accumulated over the years. Items that no matter how many times, I
post to want to trade still remain on my shelves. What good are they
doing me? Nothing! What good could they do for someone less fortunate
than me? I may never know if I don’t take a step of faith & sow the
seed to someone else. Mary Kay is about enriching women’s lives. What
better way to “Cherish” other women. That’s what brings me to writing
this letter. If you have discontinued items that you no longer have a
need for and are tired of having them on your shelf, I’m asking for
donations. Maybe it’s pcp gifts, discontinued L/G, L/S, pink
container items, polishes, lotions, shower gels or old samples that
you have a lot of. Think of yourself, what if you were in this
situation, what would be important to you. Anything would be
wonderful. I want to be able to provide these women with something
that makes them feel special. I know Mary Kay has been a blessing to
many of us in many different ways, and I’m just looking to pass this
on to others and possibly give them the chance for “something more”.
If you have any questions, feel free to email me. I truly want
to “Thank” each one of you for your time & consideration. May the
Lord bless you & your business and you live your life in abundance,
to the full, till it’s over flowing.
Have A Blessed Day!
Alice Lain
Lain6760@aol. com
This is an excellent idea. I have promoted doing this for a long time. Women need to feel pretty and I am sure they feel more confident when trying to get a job or just being a woman when they can take care of themselves personally.
A new lipstick makes us all feel good.
I remember when this was a big issue somewhere else! I am glad you have proof that it is ok. Thanks for this post! I sure don’t know how you do all of this-Wonder Woman! Oh ya~like the new layout!
LOL–funny you should call me Wonder Woman. The unit I’m in is called “Wonder Women Unit!”
My director has always suggested donating old products to women’s shelters. It is definitely OK to donate your products. You can even write it off if you donate enough. Your tax preparer would know more about that.
I absolutely love your site!!
This organization may have been mentioned already but I’ll throw this in anyway. The “LookGoodFeelBetter” program is for breast cancer survivor’s. The program is intended for women going thru breast cancer and offers them the opportunity to come in and learn a bit about skin care, cosmetics, etc… and the chance to be pampered. They even offer the women a wig (if they are interested) at no cost! This program is totally free to the women and is great in so many ways. It really helps your self esteem as well. It helps you realize that you can still feel pretty, feminine, etc… I’ve gone thru breast cancer and went to this 1-day program. I highly recommend it. And if you have cosmetics, supplies, the desire to volunteer, etc… this is a wonderful way to help out!